Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Analysis

We’ve gone over the footage with a fine-toothed comb and picked out some of the more interesting tidbits.

0:17 - The X-Wing and Star Destroyer have been here a long time...note the sand piled up. Also, is that Rey’s speeder from the original trailer?

0:35 - "The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power too." Is this Hammill? These phrases are a reordering of Luke's words to Leia in the Ewok Village during Return of the Jedi. It's unclear who the speaker is addressing, or whether the voice-over even represents dialog from the The Force Awakens. It's entirely possible it's simply used for dramatic effect in the trailer.

0:39 - The melted mask from Vader’s funeral pyre. “My father has it.” And why does somebody have this on a smooth black pedestal?

0:45 - We see a character with a cybernetic hand reach out to touch R2. Is this Luke? The hand looks far more mechanical than Skywalker's cybernetic limb.

0:51 - Note the alien face handing Anakin/Luke’s blue saber to the woman. We haven’t seen this blade since The Empire Strikes Back. How did it get here? Themes of generations and family have always been pertinent to Star Wars, and it's fascinating to see a literal "passing of the torch" take place in the preview with the lightsaber hand-off.

0:56 - Cut to black. “You have that power too.” Is the speaker addressing one of our three new main characters?

1:06 - We see Poe's X-Wing squadron breaking formation over water on a jungle world.

1:10 - Ren appears again, revealing a metallic mask. This is the first time we've seen the face Episode 7's bad guy, and his appearance is reminiscent of the lines and coloration of the Clone Wars late-republic style. Who's under there? Also, looks like there’s some sort of a Hunger Games lineup going on behind Kylo Ren.

1:12 - A lot going on here, including a new Imperial logo, new model TIE, and cannons reminiscent of the Death Star turbolasers. And who is that dark figure in the background?

1:16 - A starship hangar (note space in the right side beyond the force field). Also the rear end of one of the same shuttles we’ll see just before the chrome trooper shot.

1:19 - A new model Star Destroyer and imperial shuttles appear in the next cut, fading into an image of the Chrome Trooper, (possibly the rumored Captain Phasma). The scene is framed in familiar Death Star-internal imperial architecture, but one wall appears to be rough rock, possibly indicating an underground installation.

1:21 - The Millennium Falcon makes a triumphant return with an image of BB-8 peeking around an interior corner. The shot is reminiscent of R2’s peeking in the original trilogy.

1:23 - Finn spends a lot of time looking pained and sweaty in both trailers. He’s obviously had a rough day.

1:27 - Note that crazy Battlestar Galactica-style camera zoom

1:29 - The chase closely mirrors the pursuit sequence from the second Death Star run, with the Falcon barreling through narrow a starship superstructure with fighters in pursuit. Han and Chewie inside the Falcon.

Hooray! The final shot of Han and Chewie side-by-side is an obvious parallel to one of the great Star Wars promo stills, and a fitting wrap-up to a trailer thematically imbued with tying the original trilogy to the beginning of a brand new adventure.

What did you spot in the Star Wars Episode 7 trailer? Let us know in the comments below.